14 September 2012 The leaked Cabinet-in - Confidence document detailing Victorian TAFE "transition plans", can be accessed HERE. TAFE Transition Plan … [Read more...]
Go8 warns on research freeze
14/09/2012 By
The Australian 14 September 2012 A letter to the Prime Minister signed by the vice-chancellors of the Group of Eight universities warns that any freeze to research grants as part of the budget savings drive could cost up to 1700 jobs, increase sovereign risk fears among international investors and spark a brain drain of leading researchers going overseas. It expresses concern that the government "may be considering a freeze on government grants from research funding bodies such as the Australian Research Council and National Health and Medical Research Council". Such a move would put at risk millions of dollars that would otherwise support research in universities, and that … [Read more...]
Need to close indigenous HE gap: Behrendt report
14/09/2012 By
The Australian 14 September 2012 The proportion of indigenous students on campus should be roughly doubled, a report on indigenous participation in higher education recommends. Indigenous people comprise just 1.09% of university students, according to an analysis of last year's census data. The target should be 2.2% to match the indigenous share of the working-age population, according to the review by Sydney legal academic Larissa Behrendt. We struggle to close the gap. We wonder how it is that we can spend so much effort and so many resources with little impact in improving literacy and health. And we aren't going to move those statistics without the emergence of a class of … [Read more...]
Deeper TAFE cuts revealed in secret documents
14/09/2012 By
The Age 14 September 2012 A leaked 86 page report summarising the transition plans submitted by Victoria's TAFE colleges in the wake of $300 million in funding cuts shows the vocational education system is in for a lot more pain than originally expected, particularly in politically sensitive regional areas. Swinburne University says it intends to cease all delivery of higher education and TAFE programs at Lilydale by July 1 next year, while its Prahran campus will close in January 2014. Iwants the state government to buy its Lilydale and Prahran campuses or allow them to be sold off. It estimates its Prahran campus would fetch $50 million, while Lilydale would raise $27.5 … [Read more...]
